My Dinner with Andre (1981)
Movie · 1981 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 52m · PG · English
Curator score: 9.0/10 (101.7K ratings)
Overview
Two old friends meet for dinner; as one tells anecdotes detailing his experiences, the other notices their differing worldviews.
Ratings
- Curator score: 9.0/10
- Letterboxd: 4.10/5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
- TMDB: 7.5/10
Director
Louis Malle
Production
The Andre Company, Saga Productions Inc.
Cast
Andre Gregory, Wallace Shawn, Jean Lenauer, Roy Butler, Cindy Lou Adkins
Where to watch
TCM, Max
Curator Review
Verdict
A singular, talk-driven chamber piece that turns a dinner conversation into a surprisingly absorbing meditation on work, art, alienation, and how to live. It rewards patience and curiosity more than plot-seeking, but its emotional honesty and philosophical friction still feel fresh.
Best for
- viewers who like dialogue-first films
- people interested in philosophy, theater, and self-examination
- fans of intimate, low-budget New York storytelling
- audiences open to slow-burn, idea-driven cinema
Skip if
- you want a conventional plot or visual spectacle
- you get restless with extended conversations
- you prefer films with clear action beats or strong narrative momentum
Overview
My Dinner with Andre is the rare film that makes a restaurant table feel like a stage for an entire worldview. What begins as a reunion between two old friends becomes a debate about comfort, ambition, spirituality, and the fear of becoming numb to life. The pleasure is in the tension: one man’s restless searching against another’s grounded skepticism.
Worth noting
It is deceptively simple, but the movie keeps opening up the longer you sit with it. The dialogue has the rhythm of lived experience rather than screenplay cleverness, and the city-night framing gives the conversation an almost dreamlike isolation. Even when the ideas are lofty, the film stays rooted in very human anxieties about money, identity, and connection.
Bottom line
This is not a film for everyone, and that’s part of its identity. If you’re willing to meet it on its own terms, it can feel oddly electric: funny, confessional, and quietly profound. It’s less about winning an argument than about recognizing yourself in the discomfort of being alive.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Simone (4.5★) · 2913 likes
Lately, I've been reconnecting with a lot of former friends and acquaintances from high school and college. And no, I don't mean on Facebook. I mean sitting down and having an actual conversation, filled with meaningful dialogue, heart wrenching regrets, near-death experiences, and spirited philosophical debates. While watching My Dinner with Andre, sometimes I checked out from whatever they were talking about and let my mind wander to things relevant to my own life. By the end I was moved… more Lately, I've been reconnecting with a lot of former friends and acquaintances from high school and college. And no, I don't mean on Facebook. I mean sitting down and having an actual conversation, filled with meaningful dialogue, heart wrenching regrets, near-death experiences, and spirited philosophical debates. While watching My Dinner with Andre, sometimes I checked out from whatever they were talking about and let my mind wander to things relevant to my own life. By the end I was moved… more
Alan (4★) · 2906 likes
More like Andre's dinner with Andre.
Scumbalina (5★) · 2738 likes
I watched this twice today. Wallace Shawn speaks from a place of familiar futility. He's the voice of the audience. Upon first viewing, I somewhat disliked Andre. He has the luxury of purchased hipster reality. He participates in quack cult-like retreats in foreign countries as away to reconnect with his humanity. Wally struggles to pay his bills and is content with the simple details of life, but in turn never bothers to ask important questions or take any risks. Having… more
David Chen (4★) · 1439 likes
The OG rambling 2-hour film podcast.
eddyburback · 1213 likes
imagine if theo von was at the table… these guys would have shut up and listened.
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Topics
dialogue-driven, philosophical drama, chamber piece, New York City, existential, introspective, 1980s cinema, theater-adjacent, low-budget, talking heads